Join us for this exciting 3-day training on Restorative Approaches with Belinda Hopkins. Explore how the values and principles of restorative justice can enhance the way we make, maintain and repair relationships at home, at work and out in the world. (16-18 Jan)

Please note that this 3-day training will take place the 16th-18th January 2018. Places on this course are limited and early registration is highly encouraged. Register before 15 Dec to receive our Early Bird discounted rate.

St Ethelburga’s is delighted to be bringing Belinda Hopkins, Director of Transforming Conflict, to offer her unique, three-day introduction to restorative practices.

Come join us in exploring how the values and principles of restorative justice can enhance the way we make, maintain and repair relationships at home, at work and out in the world.

On this short introduction to restorative practice you will:

Explore the key values, principles and themes that underpin all restorative engagement

Learn how to transform relationships by addressing difficult conversations, conflicts, bullying, challenging, anti-social and criminal behaviours as well as low-level disruption in a consistently positive way

Develop restorative responses that can reduce the use of, and the need for, punitive responses whilst still offering closure to all those affected

Practice running circle processes to help build a sense of community amongst young people and/or staff teams, to develop trust and mutual respect, and to enhance confidence and problem-solving skills

Who should attend?
The focus of this course is on engagement – how we interact with others in our lives – whether at work, in our families, in our communities and in the world at large. The values, principles and skills are generic and so it will be fascinating to learn from each other about how we might apply what we have learnt. There is no specific target group for this course – our diversity will add depth and richness to the course.

What we will cover

Day /Module 1 Setting the scene – exploring the under-pinning values, principles and core beliefs of all restorative practice; reflecting on our current practice; experiencing circles for building community and for planning and problem
-solving.

Day /Module 2 Productive conversations based on five core restorative beliefs; responding effectively in day to day challenging situations (eg corridor conversations; ‘street RJ’); working proactively with Circles

Day /Module 3 Introducing the face-to-face meeting framework for mediation and problem-solving based on 5 key themes

What to expect

The training is participative, experiential, challenging and fun!

Participants will:

work in pairs, small groups and circles

engage in discussions and share experiences and expertise

practice their skills in a in a range of simulated situations relevant to their own settings

Belinda Hopkins is the Director of Transforming Conflict. She pioneered the application of restorative principles in school settings in the UK in the late 1990’s and created the first training course in restorative skills developed specifically for teachers.

Belinda is one of the most published authors in the world in the field of restorative approaches in both schools and care. Her pioneering books ‘Just Schools’ (JKP 2004), ‘Just Care’ (JKP 2009), and The Restorative Classroom (Optimus 2011)are internationally acclaimed.

In order to remain at the cutting edge of developments in the field Belinda spent six years researching the experiences of those who have been implementing restorative approaches in their schools. The results form the first doctoral thesis in this field, completed in 2006 at the University of Reading.